love is a choice every morning (not some fuzzy feeling in a room)
by still.fly
Summary: Where Pepper never wanted a soulmate, Tony didn't mind either way, and Steve figured he'd left his behind sometime in the ice. Immediately follows first Avengers. AU. Pepper/Steve/Tony


**love is a choice every morning (not some fuzzy feeling in a room)**

In hindsight, she didn't expect to ever meet her soulmate. No siree. She was a woman brought up to be strong and independent. To take no nonsense from anyone who would look down on her for being a woman. She did not think she'd ever cross paths with her soulmate, nor did she particularly care to.

She definitely didn't expect her soulmate to be Tony Stark.

Yes, there was certainly no way in hell that he was to find out about the etch.

That's what it was called. When you lock eyes with your soulmate for the first time. The etch. A one-sided experience. Pepper had etched on Tony Stark. He wouldn't know— _ever_ —unless they made physical contact. Or if he ever were to fall in love with her— _never!_ That's how it works. Heaven knows why, because she sure didn't. There is no logical explanation.

Not even Tony Stark knows why, smart as he is.

He also can't seem to fathom how this woman, who marched herself up to his floor at SI, threatened security with pepper spray, saved his company millions of dollars by catching something off in the numbers— _impressive—_ flew under the radar and is not his personal assistant. How is she not his PA?

"You're fired." He may have left her hanging a bit too long, judging by the distress in her eyes. "And hired," he added.

"Excuse me?"

"I need you—" She looked like she might just take offense to that. Interesting. "—To be my personal assistant. Tomorrow. You're hired."

She chuckled in anxiety, "I never applied."

He scoffed, "Name?"

"Virginia Potts."

"What about _Pepper_?"

"No."

"Pepper Potts. It has a nice ring to it…" He trailed off. "Happy!" He sang at one of the security guards she'd threatened with pepper spray. Happy Hogan stepped forward, and Tony redirected his gaze to Ms. Potts, "Happy here will give you the rundown. As I said, your new position begins tomorrow. I have no doubt in my mind that you will go above and beyond the call of duty. You seem to be thirsting for a challenge, _Pepper_. Rest assured," he gestured to himself, "you've found one."

Oh you have no idea, Mr. Stark.

He held out his hand. She stared at it with a raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat and let his hand fall back to his side.

"Right. Will that be all, Ms. Potts?"

She sighed. She opened her mouth to decline the offer—this was her soulmate, for crying out loud! Her soulmate that was already giving her a headache! She couldn't be his _personal assistant_. However, Happy led her away with a hand on her shoulder before she could say anything. He gave her the "rundown" and her headache tripled in magnitude.

She was left standing on the top floor of Stark Industries with the image of Tony Stark's piercing gaze quite literally etched into the back of her eyelids. And there she stayed for a solid twenty minutes marveling at how it felt to have her entire universe reoriented around this incessant man.

* * *

It definitely didn't surprise Tony that Pepper was his "before anything else". His soulmate, if you cared to be technical about it. He wasn't sure how he let himself fall for her, but _God_ one day everything just slanted into perspective. One perspective. Her.

It took years and to be held hostage for months in Afghanistan for his head to retract from his ass. It didn't take long after that. As soon as he saw her in that dress, the one that dipped down her back, he was gone. The natural etch, where you fall in love with your soulmate.

Well maybe his head was still stuck in his ass, maybe a little bit. He never talked about it with her—his failed attempt involved a burnt omelet, coupled with the fact that he was slowly dying from palladium poisoning. So he decided to just screw it all and seal the deal after Stark Expo was blown to shit. Kissing her seemed like the easiest way to do it.

It was even better than the initial etch because they both _wanted_ this.

It was so much worse because they were suddenly aware of every intricate detail of their bond. And that there was a missing third piece.

"Triadic. Are you serious?" He asked rhetorically, "Aren't I enough to deal with already?"

"Oh my god."

"What are the odds of this even happening? This rarely happens. I'm correct in that, right?"

Pepper nodded. Triadic bonds were far and few between, but they definitely happened. She certainly never even considered herself being included in such a thing. She huffed out as much stress as her body would let her. "Let's not focus on that right now," she said, bringing her hand to his face. It was so good to be able to touch him now. And it felt so right the way her palm tingled where it met his skin. "Let's focus on this." She brought his head back to hers in a kiss.

That's when Rhodey decided to ruin the moment. Tony silently cursed. It was a _good_ moment. Those don't happen too often with him. But then Rhodey flew off with the suit and Tony figured that Pepper was right. He cuddled into her neck, even though he was taller than her in the suit, and let out a sigh. They needed to focus on this new development in their relationship. The third member of their bond . . . well they would cross that bridge when they got there.

* * *

Weeks later, after a long day of cleaning up the mess that was Stark Industries, they were cuddled up together on the couch. The television was off. She was enjoying his warmth, and he had never felt so much love.

"So were you serious about resigning as CEO? Because I think I found the solution to making the arc reactor technology cost efficient. I sort of created a new element while I was under house arrest. No big deal or anything. Just the key to self-sustaining energy." She peeked up at him from her place on his shoulder. Her hand started to move up and down his arm until she finally settled it at the base of his neck.

"Do you intend to blow up more of my stuff?"

" _Your_ stuff?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"CEO, remember?"

"Ah, right." He cleared his throat, "I never _intentionally_ blow anything up." She gave him a look. "I will try to keep my explosions away from your stuff. I can't make any promises though. Ain't no rest for the wicked, after all."

"In that case, I think I'll keep my position as your boss if you tell me more about this new element of yours."

"You are my boss, aren't you? Hot."

She cuffed him on the back of the head. He smiled and nuzzled his nose into her hair. She always smelled like vanilla and it drove him all sorts of crazy. They had actually been taking things pretty slow. It was unlike any relationship Tony had ever pursued. Then again, he'd never dated his soulmate before. But he wanted to be the best version of himself for her, and even for their missing piece. And though they had known each other for over a decade, they couldn't just jump right in with everything.

He wanted her bad though.

"I'm serious, Pep. You're the most beautiful woman I know." He was inordinately happy at the blush spreading across her cheekbones. It gave him courage to continue, "You're the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, and I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize it." He cleared his throat again, "I, uh, love you."

She stared up at him, stunned. He stared back, biting his lip. Her answering smile could have knocked him out.

"Tony," She said, tangling her legs with his, "I love you too."

And then they were kissing. A lot. And maybe not taking it so slow anymore.

* * *

For all the bravado that he throws at, well, everyone, Tony Stark is a coward who can't look Captain America in the eyes.

He tells everyone that it's his dad's fault that he hates the guy, but really he just has had a harmless crush on the American Icon since he was eleven. Not so harmless now that he's recovered from the ice. And now they were on the same quinjet, standing side by side.

Tony was berating himself for being such a coward. And yet did what all cowards do. Perpetuated the lie.

"Still you are a little spry for an older fellow." He finally allowed his gaze to shift over to Captain America's face. Rogers had his eyes on Loki, but at the sarcasm dripping from Tony's words he looked up.

Good God, is this what Pepper felt like when she'd etched on him? It was awfully confusing and a little contradicting. He knew enough about this man to recognize good character and selflessness. Who Captain America _really_ was—or Steve Rogers he supposed—was a different ordeal. He didn't know this man, but he felt the world for him. Just like how Tony felt with Pepper.

But Rogers didn't know. That cold stare reminded Tony of that. The etch was always one-sided.

Tony made a split decision to avoid his feelings.

"What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?"

* * *

Pepper felt it at the same time Tony did. Of course she did. Any shift in their bond was transmitted to her. She may not have known who it was, or under what circumstance—Tony was doing Avenger stuff, so probably not a good one—but she felt that missing link shift itself into place.

Tony would call her when he had time.

She kept telling herself that to keep her hands away from her phone to call him herself. She was dying to know who exactly is the third entity to their bond. It wasn't until later that evening that she finally got a call from Tony.

"Tony?" She exclaimed into the phone, "I felt the bond shift, I've been aching to call you about it but didn't want to distract you if you were in the middle of something dangerous. You've kept me waiting all day, and it's completely unacceptable."

She heard a sigh escape him, " _I know, Pep. I'm sorry. Been a little preoccupied."_

They were both silent for more than a few moments.

She spoke first, "Who is it?"

Another sigh, " _I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you. Also he's going to be a tricky egg to crack. He kind of hates me. Deservingly so._ "

"Who?"

" _Steve Rogers_."

"As in _Captain America?_ "

" _The very one_."

"Oh my god." Then his words registered in her brain, "How do you manage to get Captain America to hate you? Isn't that like impossible? Unless you're evil personified?"

" _And who are you talking to exactly?_ "

She snorted, "Good point."

" _Whoa, no need to agree so quickly!_ "

The gravity of the situation hit her, "Holy crap, Captain America is our soulmate." Her eyes widened, and her breathing became a little erratic.

" _Did you just say 'holy crap'?_ "

* * *

Steve never thought he'd ever etch on anybody. Especially considering the ice and waking up in a world clearly not meant for him. And even if by some twisted fate his soulmate had been waiting for him all along—he was a soldier, an avenger. Not exactly the best environment for falling in love.

Or so he'd thought.

Tony Stark pushed him. In a lot of ways no one had ever been capable of pushing him. Tony made him realize how imperative it was to learn as much as he could about the seventy years he'd lost. Sometimes Steve wanted to punch the billionaire in the face for no good reason other than it'd maybe shut him up for once.

Steve had also been wrong about Tony. He realized that way before he saw the man flying through the portal with a _nuke_ , but this just kind of cemented it for Steve.

Watching him fall out of the sky, Steve felt inexplicable worry for the man. Even more so when Thor ripped his faceplate off and Tony Stark lay there still. Steve couldn't do more than rest his hands over the arc reactor. It would be impossible to do CPR while Tony was in his suit.

Sorrow crept into his chest.

The Hulk roared at their fallen comrade, startling Steve and Thor—and Tony.

"What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me."

Steve looked up at Stark tower. There was destruction all around, but at least it was over. "We won," he said.

"Alright hey. Alright good job guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just—" Tony sounded like he was in pain, "—take a day." He turned to the Hulk, "You ever tried shawarma?" Steve smiled fondly. Sometimes Tony really drove him up the wall, but Steve admired how he was always himself no matter the circumstance. Everything really is a joke to him, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all. As Steve thought all this, something in his entire body seemed to shift. "There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

Steve stared down at him, wide-eyed. He was suddenly seeing Tony as if he were the only person on the planet. His entire focus, everything he knew, shifted around this man who kept babbling on about shawarma.

This century just kept throwing all sorts of surprises at him.

"We're not finished yet." Thor reminds Tony. Steve looks up at him, being pulled out of the spell.

"And then shawarma after," Tony agreed.

* * *

They'd gotten their shawarma, with Loki tied up outside, and had taken a week to clean themselves up and report to SHIELD.

Now the Avengers gathered around Thor and Loki and watched as they used the tesseract to return to Asgard. Steve wondered when they would see Thor again, but knew that he would return to earth if they truly needed him.

Steve wasn't really sure how to approach Tony. He'd been terrible at talking to women in the 1940's, but he's pretty sure he's terrible at talking to anyone he's interested in romantically. He settled with holding out a hand, eyes warm—by this gesture, Tony would have to realize that Steve knew about the etch. People just don't offer skin to skin contact casually. Even in 2012. _Especially_ in 2012. His outstretched hand did make Tony's eyes bulge out of his head a little.

"As much as I would like to—" He kept staring at Steve's hand until he let it flop back to his side awkwardly. Steve was more than a little confused. And maybe a little hurt. "—I really can't. Not without a guilty conscious. Crap. This isn't coming out right." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Cap," he said, "There's someone you really ought to meet."

"What?" Steve really didn't understand what was going on.

"Look, I don't want to explain it here. Follow Bruce and I to the tower. I'll explain everything there. I promise."

"Okay?"

In a daze, Steve got onto his bike and followed closely behind Tony's fancy car until they reached the tower that was still in complete disarray. The three men filed through the elevator in the garage. Bruce and Tony pressed one of the buttons and the elevator began its ascent. The awkward silence was killing Steve. Tony was kind of reveling in it. Bruce just ignored it.

The elevator dinged at the floor Bruce had asked for. "I'm just going to go…meditate or something. See you later." He was obviously giving them some space, for which Steve was grateful.

"Bye, Brucie!"

Bruce rolled his eyes, but smiled. The elevator doors shut, and it was just he and Tony.

"So…" Tony started, "did you—?" He gestured vaguely between the two of them. Steve squinted his eyes. Tony didn't usually have a hard time expressing things. Steve knows what he's trying to ask—sort of—but still.

"Etch?"

Tony nodded.

"Yeah."

The elevator dinged again, and they were in the penthouse. The rubble had been taken care of, but there was still a hole in the ground from where the Hulk had thrown Loki around like a ragdoll. Tony told Steve to sit down on the couch while he got them some drinks. When he came back, he handed a glass of water to Steve and sat next to him with his own glass of scotch.

"You must fall in love pretty easily."

"I guess. Or maybe it was just because it was you, Tony."

"Really?" Tony took a sip from his drink, "I thought you hated me."

"Well you certainly know how to push my buttons," Steve said it fondly. Tony may not want to seal the bond yet, but he figured he could reach over and place his hand on the billionaire's knee. No harm done, and Tony's warmth felt nice against his palm. Tony noted that Steve actually liked getting his button's pushed.

Tony's answering smile was catlike.

"Do you think you could do it again?"

"What?" It's the third time Steve has asked him that out of pure confusion since he met the man. It's only been a week.

"Fall in love?"

"I don't understand."

Tony sighed.

"Well there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to do it. My name is Tony, but I'm gonna be frank." He sucked in a quick breath.

"You're always frank," Steve grumbled, just wanting Tony to get to the point.

Tony blew out the air he had taken in, and shot Steve a glare, "—We're sort of in a triadic bond with the CEO of Stark Industries. She'd be sad if we bonded without her here. Also, we should call her. And get her to fly out here. Like right now." Tony was already whipping out his Starkphone.

Steve blinked, squeezing Tony's knee in alarm.

"Wait!"

It was too late. He was already calling her. Maybe she wouldn't answer the phone. It was still early in New York. Maybe she was sleeping. Maybe—

" _Tony?"_ Her voice sounded like she'd just woken up. Steve's heart raced wildly. Just the sound of her voice was making him feel warm. He did not know anything about this lady except that she was the CEO of Stark Industries and—apparently—his other soulmate. And he found out both of those thing literally ten seconds ago. How can just her voice make him react like this?

"Pepper! Did I wake you up?"

" _Mmm, no_. _I've been up long enough to boot up my laptop and make myself some coffee. I was just about to send some important emails about clean up in New York. Since I have you on the phone though, maybe I can negotiate you handling eighty-eight percent of that?"_

The air was thick; Steve thought he might be able to cut it with a knife. He didn't have any context for her remark, but it was enough to get Tony to shut up. Steve grinned. He was beginning to like this Pepper already.

"That twelve percent comment isn't going to haunt me for the rest of our lives, will it?"

" _Probably."_

Tony sighed, "It'll be easier to help you with clean up if you're out here with me."

" _What's stopping you from flying back home? It's been a week. I watched you nearly die on the news. Come home. You deserve to come home."_ With every quick sentence her voice became more earnest.

Tony looked like he didn't really know what to say, so Steve thought he better step in. The only other time he'd been this nervous was right before he'd been injected with the serum.

"Uh, Pepper?" The line was silent. He suddenly had the thought that maybe Tony hadn't told her about him. In which case, he was probably making a fool of himself. "Hi. I'm Steve."

The silence lasted another minute.

" _Right._ _I am booking a flight as we speak. I'll be there sometime this evening."_

Steve nodded, and then remembered that she couldn't see him. Tony snickered.

" _Steve?"_

He felt like he was flying when she said his name, "Yeah?"

" _Don't let Tony do anything stupid."_

Steve laughed, and Tony pouted.

"Yes, ma'am."

She hung up the phone.

Steve turned to Tony with a dopey smile on his face, "I like her."

* * *

Tony told Steve that he was going to go the lab and tinker but that the Captain was welcome to join him. Steve pulled a sketchbook out of his duffle bag before following the billionaire back into the elevator. They stood close enough together that their arms touched through their sleeves. When they got to the R&D department, Tony was immediately drawn to his computers. Pretty soon holographic schematics were floating around the pair. Steve had found a chair and was sketching in content.

"Have you always liked to draw?"

Steve nodded, "Probably the one thing the serum made trickier. My hands are three times the size they used to be, but I manage."

Tony was now thinking a lot of things about Steve's hands.

He shook his head and turned back to his holograms.

"What are you working on?" Steve asked.

"The suit. One thing that can _always_ improve is how to get it on and off again. If I can somehow calibrate the suit to my body…" Tony started to mutter to himself.

"How about, instead of the entire suit, you calibrate the individual parts?" Steve thought of the wormhole, thought of Tony flying through, "And there's got to be a way for you to control the suit without actually being in it. There would be a lot of tactical advantages…" … _and you could be kept safe,_ "You could essentially be in two places at once."

Tony stared at him, mouth agape, "I love it when you talk all 'Captain America' to me. That's brilliant. JARVIS? Write that down."

"Noted, sir."

Steve jumped at the disembodied voice. Tony looked apologetic, "Sorry, Cap. Forgot to warn you about JARVIS. He's my AI. Artificial Intelligence. He runs the house and helps run the suit. J? I'd like to officially introduce you to Captain America."

"Pleasure to meet you, Captain."

Steve wasn't really sure where to direct his response, so just directed it to Tony, "Pleasure to meet you as well, JARVIS. Please. Call me Steve." He raised his eyebrow at the billionaire, as if to say the invitation also extended to him. Tony only rolled his eyes.

"If you ever have a question, just ask," Tony told him. "JARVIS won't leave you hanging. Also if you're here and you need to contact me or Pepper or anyone else, JARVIS can help you out."

Steve nodded, "You created JARVIS?"

"Yeah and I'd be lost without him."

"Careful sir," JARVIS quipped, "People might begin to think that you care."

Steve chuckled and Tony huffed, muttering something about everyone ganging up on him today. Steve couldn't seem to wipe the goofy smile off his face. "That's really amazing, Tony."

"Uh, thanks." Tony had never been good at accepting compliments. Well, _honest_ compliments. He thought he might have to work on that fast; he had a feeling that the Captain would be dishing those out in rather large proportions. At least Pepper will be there to tear his ego back down to earth. _Steve will definitely keep me grounded out in the field,_ Tony mused to himself, thinking about the harsh words they had exchanged on the helicarrier.

Tony hummed happily, turning back to his holograms, and definitely not contemplating how well the three of them already balance each other out. Pepper isn't even here yet!

* * *

Steve left Tony to his computers and robots about an hour ago, after DUM-E had nearly spilled coffee on his sketchpad, opting for taking a quick nap in the penthouse. When he'd woken up, he'd pulled out a book from his duffle bag. The Lord of the Rings. He'd barely made a dent in it.

The farther the sun crept towards the horizon, the more nervous Steve became. Everything that Tony had told him was a bit overwhelming. Never in a million years would he have thought he'd be the missing link in a triadic bond in the _twenty-first century._

Pepper would get here anytime now. He would take one look at her and etch. But she wouldn't. It would be one-sided.

He wanted to do this right.

"You're thinking too hard."

Steve sighed. Tony rolled his eyes as he strolled over to the couch where Steve was sitting. He plucked the book out of his hand, demanding Steve's attention. Tony sank down into the couch, pushed his feet into the captain's lap and Steve placed his hand on Tony's shin.

"Care to share with the class?"

Steve sighed again but conceded. "You etched on me, right? I mean at first sight?" Tony nodded. "And we established that I fall in love fast. I etched on you the moment you turned to the Hulk and asked him if he'd ever tried shawarma." Steve smirked, but his nerves were still driving him nuts. He was just grateful that Tony was actually letting him get this all off his chest and not making any moves to interrupt. "Well Pepper etched when she first saw you?"

Tony nodded again. "And it took me years to finally etch on her. Not her fault; I kind of had my head up my ass. But you'll etch on Pep, and she'll etch on you after we seal the bond—"

"That's the thing…if you etched on Pepper by falling in love with her, and I etched on you by falling in love with you…can we wait until Pepper falls in love with me? To seal the bond?" _Assuming that she even does_ , Steve thinks forlornly to himself. It happened all too often—the other half of the etch never falling in love with their soulmate.

Tony gaped at him.

"If this is some 1940's polite bullshit, you really don't have to do that."

Steve huffed, opening his mouth to retort but being cut off by a feminine voice from across the room.

"I don't think it's bullshit, Tony. Just Steve."

Steve's head whipped towards the owner of that voice. First to the red heals adorning her feet. They make her legs stretch on for _miles_. Her skin is pale and smooth. His eyes travelled up her lithe body dressed in a black pencil skirt and an elegant short-sleeved blouse. He forced his eyes away from her collarbone and took note of her red lips, her freckles, her straight nose, the strawberry hair draped around her neck—

He couldn't look her in the eyes. She smirked, and Steve loved how confident she seemed to be despite everything.

"And it's really romantic."

Steve swallowed and found his courage. He locked eyes with her. He was vaguely aware of Tony watching his reaction. Steve stared up at Pepper in awe, jaw slack and eyes wide. He'd felt this with Tony and he was the luckiest bastard because he got to feel it _again_. Her blue eyes pierced him to his very soul. He couldn't look away. Pepper was everything. And Tony was everything. And they were right there, right in front of him. And he really _really_ didn't want to wait anymore to seal the bond.

But it was still the right thing to do.

Tony broke his trance.

"So, what?" He asked Pepper, "We wine and dine the Captain? Court him?" Pepper rolled her eyes, and sat herself down next to Tony. "Hi," he said to her, giving her a quick kiss. It was addicting to watch Tony reorient himself to her, shifting his legs off of Steve, throwing an arm behind her shoulders and picking up a lock of red hair to play with. He sent a smirk Steve's way and rested his palm on the Captain's thigh. "Can't really say dating's my style." His words echoed an earlier conversation the captain had with the billionaire. _And you're all about style._

"Don't even go there, Tony." Steve snarked.

"Bossy."

"Yes, Tony." Pepper said in answer to his question and in exasperation, "You're expected to behave while we court him, too." She peeked her head out from Tony's shoulder to look up at Steve through her eyelashes. "Steve? Would you like to accompany Tony and I to dinner tomorrow evening? On a date?"

Steve was completely gone on the couple sitting next to him. It took his brain a while to provide an answer for them, Tony rubbing soft little circles into his quadriceps all the while.

"Only if Tony's paying."

Steve could feel the goofy grin on his face but he didn't care.

"Done." Tony agreed, "And in the meanwhile we can talk clean up. JARVIS, order pizza. I'm starving. Are you starving?" He didn't even give them a reasonable amount of time before plowing on, "Five pizzas. Plain pepproni. One for Pep and I to share, four for Captain Bottomless Pit."

"I don't need four pizzas." Steve grumbled.

"Don't give me that, Rogers. I've seen you eat."

Pepper giggled.

* * *

"Stay here for the night. My couch is a hell of a lot better than whatever SHIELD has set up for you. Pepper picked it out. JARVIS?"

"Miss Potts has extraordinary tastes, Captain Rogers."

"As he said. Great!" Tony jumped up before Steve could respond. "I'll find you some blankets and something to sleep in. Although, I'm positive Pepper wouldn't mind you sleeping in nothing but your boxers. _I_ wouldn't mind you sleeping naked as long as we got a peep show."

Pepper smacked the back of Tony's head.

He batted her hand away. "Hey! I know you're dying to see him in his birthday suit, Pep. Don't fall for the innocent act, Cap. This woman is depraved."

Steve was blushing to the tips of his ears.

Tony left. Pepper reached out and carefully put her hand on Steve's shoulder. Steve could tell that every move she took to touch him was calculated, so as not to accidently make any skin to skin contact. It seemed practiced. Steve knew it had everything to do with Pepper working as Tony's PA for years before they actually bonded. He appreciated the action. He wanted to bond so badly, but it was better this way. And the warm touches revitalized him. Steve was beginning to realize that he was pathetically touch starved.

Steve glanced up at Pepper, but her gaze was locked on the doorway Tony had just disappeared through. She had a fond smile set on her face, and her eyes sparkled with love.

"Tony might not let you out of this tower. He clings to people he cares about and you and I are at the top of that list." She smirked, "He's very possessive."

Steve continued to blush.

* * *

Steve hasn't laughed this much since waking up from the ice. Being around Tony and Pepper made him giddy. And here they were, sitting in a rundown Chinese restaurant chuckling like they'd known each other their whole damn lives. Pepper and Tony were sitting across from him in the booth, and all of their legs were tangled together underneath the table. Their heads were hunched over their entrées and they were huddled together like children.

"You thought that 'fondue' was a euphemism for _sex?"_ Tony practically shrieked, laughing as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

Steve could have reminded Tony that he had been a poor skinny kid from Brooklyn where Steve was certain fondue didn't even exist, but he liked seeing Tony laugh and didn't really want to kill the mood. He just ducked his head shyly, staring up at the couple in front of him.

"Don't feel bad, Steve." Pepper chimed in, picking up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks, " _This one_ —" She gestured comically to Tony, "—brought me strawberries once to beg for forgiveness and to confess his feelings for me and to also conveniently mention that he was dying all in one go. I'm deathly allergic to strawberries, by the way."

It was Steve's turn to laugh. If only he'd _been_ there to witness such a thing.

"I'll take note of that," Steve replied, smiling broadly, "never bring you strawberries to beg for forgiveness or to confess my feelings for you or conveniently mention that I'm dying or all three of those things simultaneously. You know what? I'll just never bring you strawberries." The laughter that ensued made Steve inextricably pleased with himself. After a few moments the laughter died down. "I gotta ask. How didja manage to get tied to two fellas who obviously know nothin' about women?"

"I wouldn't trade your incompetence for anything." Pepper retorted dryly.

"Really?" Steve said, long and drawn out and dripping in sarcasm.

"If we were perfect, we wouldn't be nearly as entertaining," Tony piped in. Pepper nodded in agreement. "Is that your real accent?"

"Oh, uh," Steve coughed, startled by the sudden change in topic, "Yes?"

"You should talk like that more. It's weirdly attractive."

"Why do you hide it?" Pepper asked, head quirked to the side.

Steve shrugged, "Habbit." He picked at his (third) bowl of chow mein. He hadn't even realized that he'd slipped into the accent. He was really letting his guard down and he was truly wonderfully okay with that.

Tony called for the check and three take-out boxes, they filed into Tony's car giggling, and Happy drove them back to the tower where it was decided that they would introduce Steve to modern cinema.

"We'll start things slow," Tony told him, pushing Steve onto the couch and draping a blanket over him from the neck down. Steve was about to protest, but then Pepper was curling into his side and he understood what the blanket was for. "How much do you know about the Civil Rights movement?"

"Uhh…I read about it more in depth than a lot of other things?" Steve replied, curling his blanket covered hand around Pepper's waist.

"Perfect! We're watching _Remember the Titans!_ "

Tony grabbed another blanket. Steve assumed that he'd go to Pepper's other side to curl around her, but Tony nudged at Steve's arm until he lifted it and proceeded to snuggle into Steve's chest. Steve threw his arm over Tony's shoulders with a happy hum. Tony passed Pepper half of the blanket, and then settled in for the movie. They were warm and lazy, and it was date night so Pepper said it was okay to not worry about the millions of things they had to do until tomorrow morning. Steve liked this plan a lot, and he couldn't stop himself from gently kissing the top of their heads. Pepper nuzzled his shoulder in response, and Tony's hand crept across Steve's legs to take hold of Pepper's hand.

Tony and Pepper provided commentary the whole movie, giving Steve context and making jokes to each other causing Steve to laugh. It was perfect. Tony and Pepper were perfect. The only way it could have been more perfect is if they were properly bonded.

Towards the end of the movie, Steve realized that Tony had fallen asleep on his chest.

"Looks like it's bedtime for the billionaire," Pepper told Steve once the credits were rolling down the screen. "Steve, would you help me bring him to bed? He might be a little too heavy for me." Pepper was already starting to gather the blankets around Tony like he was a child.

"Of course." Steve stood up, and then stooped down to grab Tony by the hips. He hefted the man over his shoulder. Tony was knocked out and completely limp. Steve yelped when his hand made contact with his ass.

"Even in his sleep he's handsy," Pepper laughed.

Steve followed her to their bedroom and deposited the sleeping engineer onto the bed. Steve gazed down at Tony fondly. He allowed himself to run his fingers through the tips of the billionaire's hair, before dropping down onto his knees at the side of the bed so that he could kiss the top of his head again. When he turned away from Tony, he met Pepper's gaze who had been watching them intently.

"At this rate, it may not take me long to fall for you."

Steve didn't really know what to say. He had already fallen for both of them, and it had only been a day since he met her and a little over a week since he met him. Did Steve really fall in love that fast, or was it just because they were his soulmates?

"Pepper…" Steve started, standing up and walking slowly towards her. "Why do you think the etch is one-sided?" He murmured quietly.

"Hmm," She thought for a moment. "I think so we don't feel forced into loving someone."

Steve nodded, "Why do you think we etch in the first place?"

Pepper smiled, "Easy. So that we can know without a doubt that the people we love are exactly what we need."

"Yeah." Steve smiled, and bent his head down to place another kiss to the top of her head. He lingered for a moment, taking in the smell of her shampoo. And Pepper let him. She didn't make a move until the Captain pulled away from her. When he turned to leave the bedroom, her petite hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Come here so I can return the favor."

It was kind of comical, Steve bending down so that Pepper could reach her lips to his hair. But they were both glad to do it.

"Goodnight, Pepper."

"Goodnight, Steve."

He left absolutely _beaming_.

* * *

"You've got a stupid smile on your face, Steve."

Steve jumped at the unexpected voice, and turned from his place at the stove to see Natasha with her arms crossed, leaning casually against the island. He didn't hear her come in. Although she is pretty good at sneaking up on people, Steve's still got exceptional hearing. How distracted is he this morning?

Right, he kept thinking about last night.

She had a manila folder in her hand. Manila folders meant it was for Steve. They never gave manila folders to anyone else but the technologically inept and that was a category reserved for him alone.

Steve ignored her comment and flipped his eggs while simultaneously keeping an eye on the bacon. There were biscuits in the oven, and gravy on the stove. "Have I told you that I really appreciate that you call me Steve? No one else does. Except Pepper."

"Ah, yes. Pepper. One of your beloved."

Steve froze, "How—?"

"Before the Avengers, I was assigned to go undercover as Stark's personal assistant when Pepper took over as CEO of Stark Industries." Natasha pulled out one of the stools at the bar and took a seat. "I recognize an etched pair when I see one. Including you and Tony. That was a surprise to say the least."

"For you and me both."

Natasha chuckled.

"So, _Captain_ —"

"—Steve; we just went over this—"

"I'll call you Steve when I'm addressing Steve, and I'll call you Captain when addressing the Captain." She raised a sharp eyebrow, and he shut his mouth. That was fair, he supposed.

"What is it,Romanoff?"

"SHIELD needs you."

"For what? Phase 2?" This time it was Steve shooting her a pointed look.

"Phase 2 is impossible without the Tesseract—"

"The premise behind it isn't."

Her mouth snapped shut. "You don't trust me."

No, he didn't. She was an impressive weapon. She understood the difference between good and evil, but she was tangled in an organization that had a twisted mentality. The ends justify the means. But she was confident and bold, and Steve could tell that she cared for her teammates. She cared what her teammates thought of her. She wanted to trust them and she wanted them to trust her.

"Not yet." He emphasized the fact that he very well could should she prove herself. "But you don't trust me either. Seems we might have to do something about that." Something flashed across her irises, amusement that Steve seemed to be able to read her so well when no one else could. Natasha thought him impulsively righteous. And she might have a point. She wouldn't trust him to get the job done if the job involved crossing the line he wasn't willing to cross. It seemed to Steve that he and Natasha might make a good team. Their strong points were the others' weakness. He grabbed a plate from one of the many cupboards and dished out two plates of eggs, biscuits and gravy, and bacon. He placed one in front of her and handed her a fork. He slid a cup down the counter, with more force than usual, and her arm shot out to catch it before it flew onto the ground. He poured some orange juice into it, then poured a glass for himself, and then sat next to her at the bar. "Let's start with breakfast."

She eyed him warily, but nonetheless began to eat.

"And for the record—I'm always Steve."

She smirked. "That's where we differ."

"Don't I know it."

"These biscuits are really good. The team ought to try them. You and I aren't the only ones that need to learn to trust each other, after all." She tore through a piece of bacon with her teeth.

"S'not a bad idea."

"Today's Thursday. We can make it a weekly tradition."

"You don't really seem like the type to care for team bonding."

"You started it. And you are the leader of the Avengers."

Steve glanced at the clock. 0730 hours.

"You think that Bruce and Clint and Tony would go along with this 'team bonding'? Especially at this hour of the day?" He asked her honestly.

"Bruce would. Clint definitely would. Tony would with the right persuasion." She waggled her eyebrows. Steve was unimpressed, nor did her taunting faze him. "Thor is a whole different issue—he kind of lives on a different planet. Can't fathom the airfare."

"Tony has enough money to cover the cost, I'm sure."

She chuckled.

"What cost? I have no money. Not after we finish patching up New York." Tony emerged from the hallway that leads to the lab. He sniffed the air, and reached for one of Natasha's pieces of bacon. She swatted his hand, and it retreated.

"What are you doing up so early, Tony?" Steve asked, taking note of the dark circles underneath the billionaire's eyes.

"I'm appalled you'd think I wouldn't be."

"He hasn't gone to bed yet." Natasha remarked, sipping at her orange juice.

"You think you've got a read on me, but you don't. I _did_ go to bed last night, thank you. The Captain can attest to that." He clapped Steve's shoulder blade and stole his bacon as he glided past him towards the fridge.

Natasha couldn't help herself. "You made it to their bed?" She inquired of Steve, mirth in her eyes. Steve rolled his eyes. He expected this kind of teasing from her and perhaps that was why it was so easy to ignore. He barely even blushed.

But maybe just a little.

"You look tired, Tony." Steve was trying to not let his worry show too much, but as hard as he tried his heart was still plastered on his sleeve for the world to see. "How long were you asleep for?"

"Long enough," He replied, waving Steve off with his head still stuck in the fridge.

Steve frowned. He was familiar with war, but he was more familiar with the way it seems to keep you up at night. He had a feeling that might be the case here with Tony. He didn't want to push the engineer, and Steve knew that Tony would talk about it eventually. Until then he could only encourage Tony to sleep as much as possible. Perhaps movie nights are the trick to getting the billionaire to nod off.

"What do you think about weekly team breakfast?" He asked Tony, changing the subject. "I'll be cooking."

"Clint's a pretty good cook, too. Maybe you could trade off." Natasha suggested. Steve weighed the idea out in his mind and figured he trusted the archer enough not to burn the tower down cooking. Tony withdrew from the fridge with a block of cheese, a gallon of milk, and a sharpie that he had seemingly procured from nowhere.

"Sounds sappy. Don't count me in."

"It's mandatory," Steve voiced authoritatively. "And don't drink from the carton."

"My tower, my milk." He uncapped the sharpie and wrote his name in all caps across the top of the milk jug. "But don't get your American flag boxer shorts in a twist, Steve. There's more milk than just this."

That was the first time that Tony had ever called him Steve. This inordinately pleased the Captain.

"There's that stupid smile again."

Tony glanced over to see for himself, "It's 'cause he's thinking about me."

Steve blushed.

"Where's Pepper?" He asked, looking around the kitchen as if she were about to appear any second.

Tony put down the milk he was chugging, wiped his lip with his sleeve, and said, "She had to run early this morning to meet with the governor or something. She's great isn't she?" He was addressing Natasha who nodded. "She should be back sometime in the afternoon. I myself, have to meet with Human Resources at eleven. Care to join us in the penthouse in the evening? Eight o'clock?"

"I'm leaving before you two start talking about your _date_." Natasha downed her orange juice, stuffed the last little bit of biscuit into her mouth and placed her dishes in the dishwasher. She saluted them, and left the manila folder on the counter for Steve.

"I'll be there." Steve said, finishing off his own plate following Natasha's lead and loading the dishwasher.

"Of course you will be!" He put the milk back in the fridge and took a bite out of the block of cheese. "Well, I've got a few hours to kill and Bruce has secretly been dying to check out the lab and I've been openly dying to upgrade the suit. My brain is absolutely exploding with schematics. You should ask JARVIS to show you the gym." He patted Steve's back on his way out of the kitchen.

* * *

Steve _was_ itching to punch a sandbag to smithereens. But this manila folder was kind of stealing all of his focus. Once Tony had left, he'd started the dishwasher, grabbed the folder off the counter, and made his way to the couch he's been sleeping on. Hopefully he would be able to maintain his privacy for whatever information this folder contained.

He flipped it open with his thumb.

He stared at its contents in shock.

 _Peggy._ She's still _alive._

"JARVIS? How long does it take to drive to D.C.?"

"Depending on traffic, approximately four hours, Captain."

"Steve." He reminded the AI. He glanced at the clock again. 0823. A little less than twelve hours before he needed to be back to spend the evening with Pepper and Tony. He stood up without really thinking it through too much, yanked his jacket off of his duffle bag and ran to the elevator.

Soon, he was on his bike and feeling the wind rush through his hair.

* * *

Pepper returned around two o'clock to a seemingly empty tower.

Her brows knit together in confusion.

Tony was at a meeting; she was aware of that much. According to the billionaire, Natasha had stopped by this morning but hadn't stayed long. Bruce was likely somewhere in the R&D department.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

"Where's Steve?"

"He left the tower at 8:25 this morning."

This left her only more confused.

"Do you know where he's gone?"

"He'd asked about the driving time to D.C."

"…D.C.?"

"He promised sir earlier that he would join you this evening in the penthouse. I find it reasonable to believe that he will stay true to his word."

Pepper spotted the manila folder on the couch. She walked over and sat down, not really sure if she should be invading Steve's privacy like this but she was _worried._ She shook off her hesitation, opened the folder, and let out a sigh of relief. She knew it was silly to think that he'd run off away from them, but Steve was a man adjusting to _a lot_ of change. It must be overwhelming to add two soulmates on top of that.

But he wasn't running. Just reconnecting with a piece of his past.

"Be safe, Steve."

* * *

Steve was clinging to Peggy's hand and she was clinging to his. Her voice was the same and her eyes were exactly like he had remembered. He was just so happy that she had lived. That she's still here. That she's still Peggy.

"You helped found SHEILD?"

Peggy smiled.

"You were my greatest inspiration. You still are." She rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand. "Look at you. Stubborn as ever. Can't be taken down that easily, even when all the world believed it."

Steve chuckled. "Neither can you. Did I tell you that I found out you were still alive this morning? Didn't even think about it, just started driving."

"You're also impulsively stupid."

He laughed again. "Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?"

"Yes. Everything." She raised an eyebrow, amused at how dramatic he made everything sound.

"I found my soulmates."

"As in you have more than one?"

"You wouldn't believe who they are."

"Tell me about them."

* * *

The Alzheimer's was severe. Peggy and Steve had the same conversation several different times. Sometimes she talked to him like it was still 1945. Although it made his heart twist in a painful way, Steve was happy to recount the same stories over again for her.

* * *

Pepper was sitting on the couch with her laptop, the blanket that Steve had been using wrapped around her shoulders. She was so entrenched in her emails that she hardly noticed the time.

"Pepper?"

She looked up, and there was Steve towering over her. She smiled, and patted the spot next to her. Steve sat down, throwing an arm over her small shoulders—making sure the blanket was in between him and her skin.

"Where's Tony?"

She blinked. "He told me he had things to do in the lab." JARVIS had said Steve would be joining 'you' which Pepper had taken to mean just her due to Tony being otherwise preoccupied.

Steve narrowed his eyes, "And he told me that I would be joining both of you this evening."

She snorted, and the action made Steve smile. An elegant lady like Pepper snorts when she laughs. "He's trying to give us 'alone time', isn't he?"

Steve shrugged, and rolled his eyes at the billionaire's antics.

"That's it. I'm calling him." She whipped out her phone and pressed her speed dial. The phone kept ringing, and Pepper wondered if Tony was staring at his own phone trying to decide whether he should answer or not. Finally, however, the call went through.

" _Pep?"_

She clicked the button that changed the output to the speakerphone.

"Tony, why did you tell me one thing and Steve another?"

There was a sigh from the other line.

" _Because it would be easier for you two to get to know each other without me there. And Steve would have blown up from anxiety if he knew I wasn't going to be there. You're an intimidating woman after all, Pepper."_

"Tony," Steve began, "I'm still trying to get to know _you_ as well."

"Really," Pepper started, backing Steve up, "The sentiment is sweet, but we both want you to be here. Right Steve?"

"Right."

" _Now I feel dumb_."

"You are dumb," Pepper agreed.

Tony snorted—they both snort when they laugh!—and let out another sigh, " _Yeah. I was actually going crazy down in the lab all by myself, knowing my two attractive soulmates would be upstairs without me._ "

"Let's make it three attractive soulmates, then." Steve said.

The line was quiet for a moment.

" _Your flirting has improved. Only slightly though. Just wanted to tell you I'm proud."_ There was a rustle and a huff, " _Alright. I'm coming. See you soon._ " He hung up the phone and a few minutes later Tony was curling himself around Pepper's other side with Steve's hand carefully placed in his hair.

"Pepper told me you drove all the way to D.C. today?" Tony asked, staring up at the Captain from where his head was tucked into Pepper's neck.

"I went to see Peggy."

"How did it go?" Pepper asked, putting her hand on his knee encouragingly.

Steve sighed, "She's doing well aside from the Alzheimer's. But I was just so glad to see her and to be with her. I didn't think there was anyone I cared about back then still alive now. I'm lucky to have her." Steve grinned, "She wanted to know about you guys. She's glad I found you."

"Tony has met her before; I would love to meet her one day as well."

Steve nodded, "Of course."

They were silent for a few moments, just reveling in each other's warmth. The moment was broken when Pepper sighed, admitting that she really did need to sift through her emails and set up appointments with several different people about clean up. Steve pulled out his sketchbook and Tony was playing with something on his Starkphone that looked complicated and beyond Steve's understanding. They were each in their zone, happily cuddled up together.

Pepper thought it was amazing, how safe she felt sandwiched in between these two superheroes.

* * *

Their days went on like this. Pepper would leave to take care of the company, Tony would go to the lab to engineer shit, Steve would bounce between SHIELD, the gym, and his sketchbook, and the three of them would come together at the day's end and curl up in a mess of limbs on the couch.

The more Steve showed his care for Tony, the more Pepper fell for him. Simple as that. She'd figured it out their first week 'dating' the Captain. Pepper can't love someone who doesn't love Tony as much as she loves Tony. And Steve definitely loves Tony, and yet still lacks some understanding. Time will help. But she knew, without a doubt, that Steve would lay down his life for Tony.

And for her.

She was aware of how smitten Steve was with her. He makes her coffee in the morning, just the way she likes, and sometimes he'll leave one of his drawings next to it. These have included sketches of her, of Tony, of her and Tony, of DUM-E, of the iron man suit, of military bases, of Brooklyn, of the things that have made Steve the person he is today. She takes them with her everywhere, and when she gets back to the tower she hangs them up next to her and Tony's bed.

The sketch he left her with this morning had her losing her breath completely.

It was a picture of Steve, which was different. She can't remember Steve having ever drawn himself before. But it wasn't the Steve that she was familiar with. He'd drawn himself as he was before the serum. Small, frail, bony. The hard line of his jaw was instead soft and rounded and his clothing was hanging from his body loosely—a comical contrast to how Steve now couldn't find any shirts _big_ enough. His eyes were exactly the same. Stubborn but gentle. Determined and kind. God, did she love those eyes.

She realized at once that Steve _trusted_ her with this.

She knew then that the next time she'd lay eyes on Steve, she'd etch.

Uncharacteristically, she dashed out of the kitchen and straight to the bedroom where Tony was still sleeping. There were a thousand things she needed to do today, but this forced it's way to the top of the list. She jumped onto the bed, dress suit and all, and began to shake Tony rigorously.

"Tony, wake up." She told him urgently.

"P'p?"

"Who else would it be?"

"S'too early."

"Get up."

"No."

" _Now._ "

Tony began to snore.

She rolled her eyes, and flipped him over. "Tony. We need to talk about something very important."

"Can wait?" He asked groggily, not even capable of forming proper sentences.

Screw it. They'll be here for hours if she doesn't just outright say it.

"I'm in love with Steve."

Tony didn't even budge. This was supposed to be when his eyes shot open, suddenly alert and attentive. Pepper groaned in frustration.

"JARVIS? Please tell Tony to meet me for lunch at SI. Let him know that if he doesn't come he'll be in for it."

"Of course, Miss Potts."

* * *

"Pepper, I don't know why you're freaking out so much. This is literally exactly what we wanted to happen. We _knew_ this was coming—I mean how could anyone not fall in love with the guy?" Tony raised an eyebrow and pointedly took a bite of his cheeseburger. They were eating lunch in her office at the company's building in New York. Pepper buried her head into her arms on her desk. "This means we can finally bond like good soulmates are supposed to."

Pepper peeked up to glare at him.

"I am _not_ freaking out."

She promptly returned her head to her arms.

"When I asked you if I should invite Steve to our little lunch party, you pretended like you didn't hear me and loudly began to recite stock statistics. Which, by the way you should never be an actress. You're way too honest and I could see right through you." Tony's eyes changed into a fond look, and he reached out to her and took her hand, "This is great news, Pepper. How did Steve react when you etched?"

She mumbled something into her arm.

"Am I hard of hearing, or are you really muttering into your arms like a fourteen-year-old girl?"

Pepper raised her head, sighing dramatically. "I _said_ that I haven't etched on him yet."

"You haven't?"

"No."

"So…you fell in love with him…when he wasn't present?" He stuffed a handful of French fries into his mouth and continued, "I still don't see what the drama is about. We meet up with Steve, you take one look at him and etch, we bond, and then we can finally get our hands on America's golden boy. Simple."

"Look Tony…" Pepper put her chin on her desk, arms out in front of her but bent at the elbow so that she could hold her hair out of her face, "Our relationship essentially began as a business deal. I got to know you for almost twelve years _as your personal assistant_ before we finally bonded. It was extremely unorthodox. We bonded on a rooftop after the Expo was blown to pieces without any previous discussion and it was…well…"

"Natural?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, "It was like we both knew what to do so _we did it_." She sighed again, "I just want the etch to be the most amazing thing not only for me but for Steve too and I feel like I don't know how to give him that. I have literally not dated in years because you and I didn't really have to. We were already so in sync. I just—I just wish that I didn't know the etch was coming. You know?"

There was silence for a long time as Tony stared at her dumbfounded.

"Steve loves you, you know?"

"He etched on me. There's a difference."

"And he loves you. He falls in love pretty easily. I mean, he fell in love with _me_ without the etch's help and I'm insufferable." He squeezed her hand, and after a moment she squeezed back. "The point I'm trying to make is that he'll think the world of your etch even if it happened in a pig's den. There's no need to make it this huge event. The thing about etching is that everything around you doesn't even matter anyways. You were all that mattered. And then you and Steve were all that mattered. Nothing else."

Pepper smiled softly. "You're surprisingly good at giving advice."

"Not if you want advice on the best way to prepare rocky mountain oysters."

"Moment ruined."

* * *

" _Pepper! Hi. I was just thinking about you_."

Pepper clutched her phone in a death grip, but was smiling at how adorable Steve was. "Steve. Hey. Tony and I wanted to know if you could show us around Brooklyn? Tomorrow—?"

"—Today." Tony huffed into the phone from her side.

"—Today?"

"… _Really? You'd want that?_ " Steve sounded surprised but hopeful.

She sighed. "That picture you gave me this morning…it made me want to know that skinny kid from Brooklyn. Tony wants to know, too."

" _Of course! I'd love that. Tonight?_ "

"Tonight."

" _I'll meet you in the penthouse at seven. Is that okay?"_

"Sounds perfect."

" _Okay! I'll see you and Tony tonight."_

"See you."

Steve hung up.

Pepper wanted to scream.

* * *

She showed Tony the sketch of Steve pre-serum and Tony let out a low whistle.

* * *

Steve was at SHIELD's station in New York when Pepper called. The goofy grin on his face was beginning to weird out the stoic agents, and none of them could look Steve in the eye as they passed down the hallway. To say that Steve was excited for this evening was an understatement.

"God, now you're bringing that stupid smile to my workplace."

Steve jumped. He was beginning to think that Natasha was just really good at sneaking up on him. Or anyone. Her ninja skills probably beat his super soldier senses.

"Natasha." He continued walking, Natasha at his side.

"Steve."

"How are you?"

"Can we skip the pleasantries? I'll say 'good' and then ask how you are doing and you'll say 'good'. It's a conversation we all have five hundred times a day. I'd rather ask what you're doing here."

"You already know I've decided to work with SHIELD."

"Only on a few conditions; yes, I've heard."

He raised an eyebrow, "You don't have anything to say about those…conditions?"

"As long as they don't conflict with our traditional team breakfast every Thursday morning, I'm good. Are you good?"

"I'm good."

"See? We just had that conversation again and it's barely been a minute."

Steve rolled his eyes, "What does Fury have you doing these days?"

"Do you honestly want to know?"

Natasha was making it really difficult for Steve to trust her—maybe that was her point, or maybe she really was too damn convincing even when she was telling a bald-faced lie. Other than her obvious desire to connect with the other Avengers, Steve could hardly get a read on her. One of his conditions in working for SHIELD was that Natasha be placed as his partner. He hoped their future missions could cultivate trust between them outside of pancakes and eggs.

"Not today." He replied, smirking, "Maybe another time?"

"We _will_ be spending a lot of time together from now on."

Steve stopped walking, and Natasha followed suit.

"I thought you didn't have anything to say on the matter."

She narrowed her eyes, "I changed my mind. Of all people you want to be partnered with _me_? Why? You don't trust me."

Steve smiled, "I think that you and I would make a great team. You're strong in ways that I am not. And is there a better way to build trust than to literally place my life in your hands?"

"Yes." She said without blinking, "You have a moral compass and mine's a little skewed. How is that an equation for a good partnership? I'm assuming that's what you were referring to. How can your strength be my weakness and simultaneously be _my_ strength and _your_ weakness?"

"Balance."

"Chaos." Natasha disagreed. "But hey. This is what Fury's got me doing these days. Looks like I have no choice in the matter." She started to walk away, but Steve grabbed her wrist before she could.

"You _always_ have a choice." If Steve knew anything to be true, it was this. This is what he fought for. For freedom. This is why he became Captain America in the first place. No one should ever lose his or her freedom to choose. If Natasha didn't want to be partnered with him, then she had the choice to refuse. Did she not see that? Natasha stared into his determined blue eyes, something softening in her own features, and yanked lightly on Steve's hold. He let go and she marched away.

* * *

On his way back to the tower, Steve bought some ridiculously bright flowers for Pepper and Tony. He held the bouquet tightly in his fist. He was colossally nervous, and he had no reason to be. Ever since he woke up from the ice, all he wanted was people to care about. When he got that, all he wanted was to let them in on who he really was. Not Captain America. But Steve Rogers. And Steve Rogers grew up in Brooklyn as a skinny kid with his best friend Bucky Barnes. And tonight he would show them that.

He parked his bike in the garage and stepped into the elevator. It was a short ride to the penthouse, but it dragged on for Steve.

When the elevator doors slid open he saw Pepper and Tony sitting on the couch. Pepper was fidgeting nervously, which was odd, and Tony was spread out lazily with his hand on her thigh and the other hand digging into a bag of potato chips.

"Steve!" Tony called, scrambling to his feet and bounding over to the Captain. Pepper remained where she was, but didn't look up. Tony and Steve were both wearing long sleeves, so the billionaire deemed it safe to engulf the blonde in a hug. Steve smiled, holding on tight before Tony finally withdrew. Steve held out the flowers to Tony, which the brunette took and placed on the counter.

"Hi, Tony. Hi, Pepper." She waved and stood up to walk over, but kept her eyes on the floor. Tony rolled his eyes and held out a hand to Pepper. She blinked at it, shifting her eyes up to stare at the him. Tony gave her an encouraging look. Pepper sighed, squeezed Tony's hand and then lifted her gaze to look at Steve.

Steve could see something shift; it moved across her eyes like a shadow. Her pupils were blown wide, and her mouth dropped open as she stared up at him. Steve smiled as understanding washed over him. He and Tony waited until she seemed to snap back to reality. She blinked, and smiled up at Steve and then over to Tony. Wordlessly, she extends a hand to the two of them. Tony grabs onto her first; Steve hesitates.

Tony rolls his eyes again. "You're both ridiculous," he says. He also holds a hand out to Steve, "Seal the deal already, Cap."

Steve stared at them for another few moments. They were a true sight to behold. Their fingers were laced together, and they were each reaching out to him—one creamy, slender arm and elegant fingers, the other arm covered in toned muscles with a calloused hand wiggling it's fingers in invitation.

It was so easy to slip his hands inside of theirs.

It was just like the initial etch but also so much more. Steve was aware of every intricate detail of their bond. Tony—reckless, brilliant, and coming apart at the seems. Pepper—poised, sharp, and concerned for the people she loves. And himself—unsure, misplaced, and not wanting to change how things worked out for anything in the entire world because he had _found_ them.

And they all loved each other.

"Brooklyn?" Pepper asked, holding onto Steve's hand a little harder.

"Yeah." Steve said, all dopey, "Can I drive, Tony?"

"Not when you look completely fucked out like that."

Steve's puppy dog eyes won out in the end.

* * *

This date was the best out of all of them so far because Steve could touch them without a second thought. He could slip his arm around Pepper's waist like he's done it a million times, or cup Tony's face, or lace his fingers through theirs as they walked down the streets of Brooklyn. They laughed the whole night, and kept their reverence when Steve showed them the places that were especially close to the heart.

* * *

"Thank you both for letting me show you my stomping grounds."

They were back at the tower—it was well past midnight and Pepper had to be up early. But she didn't seem to care. Steve felt a little guilty though, because he knew she would be tired the next day.

"Thanks for showing it to us." Pepper responded.

"Am I coming to the morose conclusion that we won't be engaging in any enthusiastic activities tonight?" Tony asked. Steve laughed, because the billionaire was staggering from tiredness more than either he or Pepper.

"Would you even be able to stay awake through such activities?"

"Try me." Tony took a step towards the blonde, loosing his balance and falling into Steve's side.

Steve laughed again.

"Maybe tomorrow."

"Is that a promise, Captain?"

"Steve." He patiently reminded (it was futile since Tony only called him that to push his buttons), "And it could be. Uhh, if you two wanted." Tony grinned into Steve's neck and planted a kiss there. Pepper sidled herself onto his other side, pulling Steve's face down to her lips. It felt like a jolt of electricity.

"Oh, we want to." She said.

That night they all tumbled onto Tony and Pepper's giant bed. They lazily kicked off their shoes, and Pepper spooned Tony and Steve, preferring to sleep on his stomach, slung an arm around her waist. Tony had enough juice in him to pull the blanket up to their armpits before he started snoring. Pepper's breathing grew shallow and the last thought Steve had before he went to bed was that it was Clint's turn to make breakfast tomorrow and the team better deal with Steve and Tony making grabby hands at each other.

Things were okay.


End file.
